Master of the House
by revvangrey
Summary: Something borrowed. Something Blue. (Second sequel to He will Surely Save) (Part 2 added)
1. Another Side of Saturday

**Master of the House, part 1: Another Side of Saturday**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe**

**Author's notes:**

Welcome dear readers, to the first part of the second sequel of my story _He will Surely Save_!

Our story has returned to the Saturday of Touma's many visitations.

There is always more to tell . . .

Enjoy!

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_The air crackled with power around her bangs as she stood facing the boy on the bridge. He stood defiant against the display and locked his blue-gray eyes onto the brown of her own, reading the sense of defeat and despair within them. The spiky-haired boy would not yield, the resolution on that face told the girl all that she needed to know._

_He stood unflinching when she released that power, the lightning crossing the gap between them in an instant. The boy felt his body go rigid and be thrown backwards from the force of the attack. _

_As he hit the pavement with enough force to rattle his bones, the sharp tang of ozone and scorched flesh invaded the boy's nostrils. The creeping darkness at the edges of his vision soon washed over all, and the boy felt nothing further . . . ._

_There was no knowing the amount of time he had spent in that darkness, but he gradually felt a sensation like a gentle rain falling on his face. Slowly the lids of his eyes were forced apart by his determined will to see and the light entered his sight again._

_As the spiky-haired boy's vision cleared, he was greeted by the sight of the same brown-haired girl that had sent him to the ground only a few moments ago. The tears from her eyes ran in unbroken streams down her face before each drop broke reluctantly from it and landed on his own as she held his head in her shivering lap._

_His heart broke to see the pain in her glistening brown eyes, but all he could do was watch as she shook and whimpered. She spoke to him with the halting and whispered voice of someone who had seen her world taken from her._

"_Why . . . ?"_

_With muscles just on the edge of his control, the boy lifted his hand to her cheek and rested his fingers on her face._

"_To dry the tears from these eyes, I would fight the world . . . "_

_His fingers brushed through her hair as they gently curled around the back of her head. He ignored the pain screaming out from his back as he raised his head up from her lap and gently pulled her face closer to his own._

_Just before their lips made contact, he whispered one last time._

"_For the smile on these lips I could forgive anything . . . ."_

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It was a quiet late morning on Saturday when the trio of girls left the lobby of the hospital to delve the depths of a certain familiar set of corridors in search of Academy City's favorite misfortune magnet, Kamijo Touma. A Certain High School's beauty sempai, who went by the name of Kumokawa Seria, ushered a pair of dark-haired girls through the main doors. She grinned like a guide leading a tour as she pointed to a large plaque upon the nearby wall.

"Alright, ladies! All we need to do is follow the signs to Kamijo-san's room."

The school's most anticipated first year student, Fukiyose Seiri, twitched briefly when she read down the arrow-laden list her sempai had pointed out and turned to her companions.

"Does it bother anyone else that this hospital has permanently mounted signs pointing to his room?"

"You know him as well as I do . . . " Seria grinned and shook her head. "So no, not really."

Fukiyose made a gesture with her thumb over her shoulder back in the direction they had entered from, before continuing.

"How about the fact that the gift shop is selling maps to his room?"

The girl twitched once more when her friend, Himegami Aisa, pulled out the very map she had been referring to and, upon slowly unfolding it, made a brief show of perusing it. The girl with princess hair gave it an approving nod.

"These really are beautifully printed . . . "

"Again, not really." For the second time in as many minutes, Seria dismissed her kohai's question with a flippant toss of her head. "Now pick up the pace, we're on a schedule here!"

Fukiyose raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather eager to see Kamijo."

"You're damn right I am!" The beauty sempai pointed of in a random direction before continuing. "There's a certain yellow-headed witch that _I_ need to get ahead of."

Before either of the other two girls were able to voice their confusion, a young man wearing slacks and a sweater vest strolled up to the trio of girls and began to casually ramble in their direction.

"Pardon me, ladies . . . " The boy let out a polite tone of voice as he passed his eyes between the three girls in front of him. "I'm looking for my cat."

His audience stood frozen upon the appearance of this new intruder in their midst and were unable to reply. He blithely continued, randomly glancing around the room as though he was expecting it to come flying at him.

"You may have seen her . . . . Two eyes like the forest and fur like a thunderstorm?"

Himegami was the first to recover her deadpan wit. "Who brings a cat to a hospital?"

The boy turned to her with a twinkle in his eye. "I do, but fear not, she's perfectly healthy!"

Fukiyose put up her hand to get his attention.

"That's not really what– "

The boy's voice broke over hers as he resumed his two-sided monologue.

"I'm bringing her to meet someone." The boy began to gesture with his arms in a vaguely kung fu manner as he raised his voice. "The highest of the high! The point by which all revolves and yet nothing changes! You know what I mean."

Fukiyose tried to respond to the bizarre display. "We really don't . . . "

The boy waved his hand in front of his face without a care.

"Well, no matter." The group flinched when he suddenly pointed at them with a serious face. "Just choose the right side when he stands against you."

The girls were speechless as he brushed past them and continued his languid walk down the hallway.

"I passed the most interesting pair in the hallway on the way here . . . " The boy called back over his shoulder as he made his way away from them. "A blonde and a guy in leather carrying a ton of cookies. Just thought you'd like to know . . ."

The two younger girls shared a look of confusion as they watched their senior turn a ghastly shade of white. This was followed by a pair of dropped jaws when Seria turned without warning and took off like a shot down the hallway.

"Don't just stand there!" She shouted breathlessly over her shoulder as the girls watched her retreating into the distance. With a mutual shrug of the shoulders, they too took off in pursuit as her voice came wailing back to them.

"Reach deep into those jealous girl hearts and pump those stupid legs!"

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_The silken sheets of the bed beneath him caressed his skin as he lay there, eyes closed in repose, the fingers of one hand just barely touching the skin of his right cheek._

_The smooth sensation of bare skin near his feet brought his attention to them as his eyes finally opened and he saw her crouching at the foot of his bed. The silken waves of her golden hair flowed over her body like rays from the sun. They seemed to shimmer as she crawled closer to his face with a luxurious slowness, the touch of her slender fingers caressing the side of his body with each pass._

_The gilded stars of her eyes were locked onto his own as she crept forward, the teasing smile on her lips beckoning for his touch._

_As she came into reach, his fingers ran gently along her arms, tracing a path of shivering joy from her wrists, along her forearms, over the curve of her elbows and finishing just below her shoulders._

_A muted moan escaped her lips as he pulled her closer to himself, his arms folding around her as they succumbed to the sensation of each other's skin._

_She murmured in ecstasy as his fingers teased their way up her spine, before resting on the back of her neck._

"_Touma-chan . . . "_

_She felt herself submitting to the pressure of his hand as it brought their faces ever closer to each other. The warmth of his breath tickled her ear for a moment as he whispered into it._

"_Together we can forget what once was . . . right now is all I need . . . ."_

_With a final moan, her face turned to receive the gentle warmth of his lips. _

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The blonde level five was nearly bouncing in glee as she led a group consisting of herself, a trio of dark-haired girls, and one sullen looking boy wearing leather away from Kamijo Touma's room. As she hummed a joyful but unsettling song to herself, the tide of annoyance continued to build in the group behind her until it was finally broken by a certain sporty girls grumbling.

"I still can't believe you lot." Fukiyose clenched her fist as she addressed the rest of the group. "Thinking about that kind of thing with Kamijo . . ."

Himegami sent her a calm tilt of the head. "All is fair in the game of capture the flag."

Seria nodded with a wicked grin.

"Agreed." She then pointed at the blonde at the front of the group. "And anyway, mental-girl here started it."

The Queen spun in place and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at the group.

"Really now! You witches think I would actually go through with it?" She tossed her head in scorn. "I'm insulted!"

She leaned forward as she continued, a teasing grin pulling at her lips.

"When Touma-chan and I finally become one, it's going to be entirely his idea, not mine!"

Feeling rewarded by the return salvo of dropped jaws, she placed her folded hands beside her cheek and murmured to herself with eyes falling closed.

"In the meantime, a little rubbing and kissing isn't going to kill him~"

Upon hearing this, Seria turned to the rest of group, raising her hand as she began to speak.

"All in favor of dunking her head in the lobby's decorative fountain on the way out?"

Misaki watched through one open eye as the remainder of the group, joined by several nurses and female patients in the hallway nearby, raised their hands in unison. The Queen did her best to look insulted before giving up a sweet giggle.

"Hmph! Jealousy is such an ugly thing~"

Fukiyose looked about ready to start shouting when the loud voice of an unfamiliar boy floated around the corner, startling them all.

"Sogiita-san, where the hell are you?!" The pitch was wavering up and down a bit with each word. "You left me with your blasted cat and then disappeared!"

A weighty pause ensued.

"No, it is NOT a learning experience!" The exasperated voice continued "That cat hates me and you know it! It probably would have eaten me if Konori-san hadn't shown up!"

The girls peeked around the corner to find a nondescript boy yelling into his cellphone. Standing next to him was a busty girl wearing a green Judgment armband and holding on to a small gray cat. Fukiyose pointed at it and silently mouthed the word to Himegami, who nodded. The boy let out a slow breath as the person on the other end made their reply.

"Alright fine, we'll meet you there. Just stay put this time." The boy grumbled as he rubbed his face.

Seria whipered her thoughts to the Queen, who responded in kind.

"_I think we found our Seven counter . . . _"

"_Agreed. Take it._"

Upon hearing the snap of his cellphone being shut, the two girls stepped around the corner. The rest of the group quickly followed them as the elder dark-haired girl called out to the young man they had been eavesdropping upon just moments ago.

"Pardon me, are you Haratani Yabumi?"

The boy and girl were just about walk off, but turned about in surprise when they heard the call. As the small cat let out an angry sounding moan in the direction of the newcomers, the boy responded with a guarded tone.

"I am . . . "

The pair of beautiful manipulators sent him their most dazzling smiles as Seria continued with her questioning.

"Can we have a word with you for a moment?"

Yabumi's eyes slid slowly over the group before he responded.

" . . . Fine." He gave a reluctant nod before turning to the girl next to him. "Konori-san, why don't you go ahead? He's in the cafeteria on the second floor."

The bespectacled Judgment girl looked hesitant, but finally nodded and walked off. The boy turned back to the girl who had addressed him, she clasped her hands in front of herself and continued.

"You are friends with Seven, correct?"

His eyes narrowed. "I might be . . . "

Seria pointed the girl standing next to her. "Do you recognize Blondie here?"

Yabumi looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes widened in recognition. They then fell back into a suspicious glare.

"It appears to be the girl that Sogiita was about to go ape on a few days ago . . . "

He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head defiantly at the group that had called him out.

"So what is this, some kind of revenge hit?" Yabumi sent them a little grin. "I should warn you, thanks to him, I'm a lot better at dodging and running than I look."

The two girls in front shook their heads in unison, strangely pleased looks upon their faces as they did so.

"No this is entirely peaceful, I assure you." Seria put her palms up in front of herself to diffuse the tension. "I just have a question to ask you."

"Then ask it."

She tilted her head and traced her fingers over her cheek. "Are you happy with how he is right now?"

The boy stood frozen in place, unable to make a reply.

"What if I told you that I could help you put him back to normal?"

Yabumi responded with a gruff mutter. "What's in it for you?"

"Many things." Seria smiled and placed her hand on the Queen's shoulder. "But I believe that you will find that everyone will be happier in the long run . . . ."

There was a long pause as the group collectively held their breath. Finally, the boy broke the silence with a sigh.

" . . . What do you need me to do?"

Seria and Misaki both stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulders.

"There's a small lounge back that way." Seria made a grand gesture with her hand down the hallway. "Why don't we all sit down and talk about it?"

". . . Fine."

With a gentle push, they ushered the boy forwards, sharing a brief smirk with each other as they led him back the way they came.

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Saturday evening found a certain wheelchair bound nitrogen esper nodding off from boredom in the dimly lit patient's lounge that had long since become her second home during her stay at the hospital. She was breathing softly as she rested her chin against the stuffed dolphin toy firmly clenched to her chest like a totem of innocence long since lost.

The slender girl twitched and opened a bleary eye when she heard the quiet rasping of a door being slid open. With the main lights turned off for the evening she could only barely make out the form of a small girl with short hair. When the identity of the individual became clear to her, she gave a frantic whisper in the girl's direction.

"_Hey now! You're that boy's cousin, right?_" Umidori pointed at the room the little girl had vacated. "_Aren't you supposed to stay in bed?_"

The terror laden eyes of the girl caught the available light for a moment before she relaxed, realizing the speaker was not a nurse. She reluctantly walked over when the other girl beckoned her.

"I'm worried about Onii-chan . . . " The girl muttered as Umidori placed her dolphin on the nearby table and re-positioned herself in her chair. "The nurses wouldn't let me see him when I woke up an hour ago."

The nitrogen esper turned her head away in embarrassment. "Yeah, stuff happened earlier . . . ."

Seeing the girl's worried look, Umidori waved off her concern.

"You know about the broken leg, right?" The little girl nodded. "Then don't worry. He'll be fixed in a few days."

The little girl's tiny fists clenched as she pouted, an annoyed tone issuing from her quivering lips.

"But I want to see Onii-chan . . . "

Umidori noticed the air around the impudent little girl beginning to shimmer and flinched backwards a bit.

"Hey, easy now!" The dolphin-loving esper flailed her hands about like she was trying to fight off a large bear. "Put it away! He had a busy day and needs some rest, that's all!"

The little girl let out a tiny cry of disappointment, but otherwise relaxed. Umidori sighed in relief when the shimmering faded away and muttered to herself under her breath.

"That brings back some unpleasant memories . . . "

She then flinched in surprise when the little girl grabbed her arm and whispered frantically in her ear.

"_Someone's going into Onii-chan's room!_"

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_The lean and wiry girl with the boyishly short, spiky red hair had been sorting through a pile of papers when she felt it. She stiffened when the pair of strong hands took a hold of her shoulders from behind and then relaxed as they began to firmly massage them. _

_She dropped the papers onto the table in front of her and melted backwards into the other person's grip, the flush of her cheeks matching the same fiery shade as her hair._

_The earthy masculine scent of his body teased her senses as he slid his arms around her and embraced her closely. She felt the lean and hard muscles of his torso pressing into her back, the heat from his skin soaking into her trembling body._

_The proud girl struggled to maintain her dignity by not letting out a moan of pleasure when he gently pressed his hand against the firm tension of her stomach, his other hand tracing the subtle curve of her hip. This proved impossible when the boy traced his lower lip over the sensitive edge of her ear._

_The throaty purr from her lips was uncontrollable . . . _

" _. . . H–hero-sama . . . ."_

_The boy only held her closer as she tilted her head back to gaze into the warm blue shade of his eyes. She nearly drooled when he licked his lips and leaned a little bit forwards to gently nip the skin at the base of her neck. After a moment he withdrew again to whisper soft words into her ear._

"_Please don't change at all . . . I am yours alone . . . "_

_The girl felt her knees buckling in ecstasy as he gently turned her face to receive his kiss._

"_Yours alone . . . ." _

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A young woman with pale skin and a halo of icy-blue hair strewn about her pillow opened a pair of blood-red eyes, glaring out into the darkness of the bedroom.

Without ceremony, she pulled her upper body into a sitting position and hissed out to another person who listened with a shivering feeling inside.

"_That was one too far."_

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The two girls in the hospital lounge watched as a person, holding a cat, silently slid open the door to Touma's room and entered, closing the door behind them. The girls shivered when the cat's glowing green eyes met theirs just before the door slid shut. Otohime hugged herself and began to whimper.

"Looking at that person made the back of my eyes hurt . . . "

Umidori nodded silently.

"Something isn't right here . . . " She wheeled herself forward, waving the little girl into line behind her. "Come on."

The pair approached the door with the utmost caution, doing their best to avoid making even the slightest sound as they reached it. Umidori leaned forward, but could only make out the barest fragments of an unfamiliar male voice.

" –Acknowledge th– and I – humbled . . . "

The girls shift as close as they dared, struggling to make out his words.

" – Missy – city at – like ants – unpunished far too long –"

The umber-haired little girl's eyes widened in fear. She reached for the door handle, but was stopped by a firm grip on her arm.

"_I promised that boy that I would keep an eye on you!_" Umidori whispered firmly in her ear. "_At least step back while I rush in._"

"_But – _"

Umidori shook her head. "_If you hear a fight break out, just run in and use that crazy power of yours on him._"

The little girl tilted her head. "_What crazy power?_"

" _. . . You're kidding right!?_"

When the little girl simply continued blinking in confusion, Umidori sighed quietly in frustration.

"_I guess I'm in this alone then . . . _"

The girl's heads snapped towards the door when the unknown young man's voice rang out through it with perfect clarity, as though he was addressing them directly. Umidori frantically waved the other girl back towards her room. In shock, the little girl complied as quietly as she was able.

" . . . I will decide how far is too far."

Umidori had just turned back, readying herself to throw the door open, when the overwhelming presence within the room suddenly vanished without a trace. She looked down at her clenched fist for a moment before finally wheeling herself around to the room where the little girl had concealed herself. Umidor felt a little disgusted with herself.

"Whoever he was, he just vanished."

Otohime peaked around the other girl at her cousin's room. "Is Onii-chan, okay?"

The other girl nodded with a sour expression.

"Considering that I never heard him speak, I'm guessing that he isn't awake." Umidor pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "The alarms would have gone off if there was a problem."

When the little girl continued to twitch and look around her, Umidori stiffly placed her hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze to reassure her.

"I promised Touma-kun that I would look after you until you were released on Monday." She gave the little girl a gentle push into her room. "Right now the both of you need your sleep."

A sour expression crossed Otohime's face.

"Yes, auntie . . . "

"If you stop making that face, I'll bring you to see him first thing tomorrow morning." Umidori grinned and held up her fist. "If anyone says otherwise, I'll shove a nitrogen burst up their keister!"

With a smile finally returning to her face, the little girl let out an adorable giggle and nodded. When the door to the room finally closed, Umidori slumped down in her chair and muttered up at the ceiling.

"I better be well rewarded for this, Touma-kun . . . "

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"_That was one too far."_

Those blood red eyes twitched briefly before continuing.

"We both saw that . . ." The girl shook her head violently as the memory came back, her blue hair flying every which way before finally settling back down. "It just kept getting worse, didn't it?"

She paused for a moment as if listening.

"And _I_ say that that whole 'I just want everyone to be happy' is nothing but loser talk!"

The air seemed to turn sour for a moment.

"Answer me this one thing: were you ever satisfied with _anything_ we just saw?"

The girl paused.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. The question is, what are _WE_ going to do about it?"

" . . . Sterling-san?" A groggy voice groaned out from the bed next to the blue-haired girl's. "It's so late . . . is something wrong?"

The girl flinched for a moment before turning her head in the dark.

"It's nothing, Rutile-san, just a bad dream . . . "

The girl heard a groan from the other bed and felt a dark grin pulling against her lips.

"Since we're both awake, can you tell me something?"

She continued blithely past the other girl's muttered protests.

"_How has the Queen been doing lately?"_

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**Author's Notes:**

And there you have it!

I would like to thank Hikari Storm for lending me the names and likenesses of Sterling and Rutile. Some parts of them will be familiar, and others less so, but I hope to integrate their spirit into my own little corner of the TAMNI universe. There will be divergence in characterization, so be aware . . .

I'll also say that Sterling wasn't the only one having those dreams . . . .

In the third dream, Touma quotes the song 'Pug' by the Smashing Pumpkins. I couldn't help myself.

Sogiita appears in all his cryptic splendor to toy with Seria's group. Note that they did not recognize him.

Poor Yabumi is getting in _way_ over his head . . . .

We also get to confirm the listener outside the door to Touma's room during Sogiita's visit.

Thank you to all who have read, followed, favored, and reviewed!

Reviews:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Sargent Crash: Glad you are enjoying Yabumi! The idea of a normal, serious person hanging out with Sogiita seemed like it would be ripe with humor.

Loopsy: Spin that web!

Agent Nine: Inspiration struck and we now have a second part of _The Heat from Her Skin_. It will be updated sporadically since, unlike the other three sequels, I do not have a defined plot for it. That said you can expect to see it updated a few more times . . .

Dimak: True, I don't think Touma would every really act like that outside of a dream (or drunkenness) . . . . Sterling did see all three dreams, my note above was implying that she wasn't the only one that received them. As for Yabumi, Misaki and Seria understand that Sogiita cannot be taken head on. Sterling will be explored further, her back story will be similar to _A Frozen Flower_, but most of the rest of Hikari Storm's work will be extensively altered to fit or simply ignored. My Sterling will be an AU Sterling after all.

whwsms: The craziness! I can't get it out of my head!

Guest:It is possible they were out of the statues at the time, or perhaps she just planned to buy one on the way out . . . .

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I'll be updating A Sky of Falling Stars next, so stay tuned!

Until then,

Lets get writing!


	2. Precision Machinery

**Master of the House, part two: Precision Machinery**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe**

**Author's note:**

Welcome back, all dear readers!

Taking over from the Sunday events in_ A Sky of Falling Stars_, we return to _Master of the House_.

It's all just one more step in the unfolding story . . . .

Onward!

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"_Where am I . . . ?"_

_A certain dolphin loving nitrogen esper looked back and forth, struggling to get her bearings in the strange foggy location where she had found herself. She didn't remember getting there and the mists that surrounded her made finding familiar landmarks all but impossible._

_As she held her arms out in front of herself, she took a few cautious steps and felt the air clear a bit. She was just able to make out the rough masonry walls surrounding her on all sides. She realized that she had to be in an alley somewhere._

_The girl cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted into the misty unknown. _

"_**HELLO?**"_

_Umidori strained to hear a possible response, but gave up after a minute of waiting. After sighing in frustration, she placed her hand against the nearby wall and began to follow it, tracing her fingers over the brickwork as she did so._

_The little gothic-lolita esper had only taken a few steps when a strange sound like cracking glass or crunching paper echoed violently through the alley and nearly knocked the poor girl off her feet from the abrupt shock. When the initial reverberation died away, she quickly became aware of the sound of people shouting coming through the deepest patches of mist._

_He body seemed to be moving on its own as she flew through the twists and turns of the bleak and foggy alleyways until, all at once, the mists filling the air disappeared and she found herself in another larger alley filled with enormous shards of ice._

_Umidori looked to her left and saw a small group of people. Five shabby looking delinquent boys appeared to be surrounding a foreign girl with brown hair._

"_HEY!" The nitrogen esper shouted out at the boys and was about run at the group when she found that she was frozen in place, her body ignoring the demands to move. The group at the end of the alley didn't even register that she was there. She felt like a ghost watching as the events began to unfold._

"_You Tokiwadai girls think you're pretty awesome, don't you?" The tallest boy in the middle taunted the girl backed up against the corner. "But we found the key to power and we aren't afraid to use it."_

_The brown haired girl narrowed her blood-red eyes, but otherwise didn't seem bothered by the threat. She started to grin and chuckled with a dark amusement._

"_You idiots think those icicles are all I have?" She licked her lips as a slightly predatory light came into those sanguine eyes. "You might want to start running, then . . . "_

_When those chilling words reached their ears, most of the boys stepped back a bit. The one in the middle held his ground, abet with a slightly higher pitched voice than he had a minute ago . . . _

"_Y–you don't scare us! We're all level three now!" He started waving at the other shabby looking boys standing next to him. "And there are even five of us! What do you think you are going to do?!"_

_The brown-haired girl interlaced her fingers and extended her palms out in front of her, slowly and luxuriously cracking each knuckle in turn._

"_I'm going to freeze you little turds solid from the inside out." The girl pointed at the ground in front of her feet. "But if you get down and beg me, I might just let you keep most of your limbs . . . "_

_Despite their trembling, the boys did their best to keep up the brave facade. Might as well go down swinging._

"_B-bitch! Why don't you go f–"_

"_**Ahem.**"_

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A young man wearing a sweater vest and blue slacks strolled at a leisurely pace through the hallways of a certain hospital. He spared not a glance left or right as he walked, all focus was ahead.

There was a strange tune that he whistled, no set center pitch, always rising and always falling.

The barest of a grin greeted his arrival at the intended destination, the door sliding open and shut in near silence.

In the ICU, the skillful Sogiita Gunha glanced over the five boys in their beds and smiled.

"Tell me boys . . . "

The seventh of the Seven crossed over to the nearest bed and tapped the boy on the chest. No response.

"How little do you remember?"

He leaned over the bed and gently peeled back the occupant's eyelid, peering into a glassy pupil.

"Do you remember the light from her eyes?"

He turned to the next bed over and picked up the next boy's arm by the wrist, observing the open palm before letting it fall back into place.

"Do you remember the shape she took?"

The level five's eyes followed the ticking wave of the cardiogram as his hand traced over the sharp metal corners of the equipment.

"Your final thoughts . . ."

The boy turned from the monitor and stepped into the center of the room. He stretched his arms out and held them straight from his sides.

"Do you still have them?"

He spun in place once, then let his arms drop back to his sides. He then tilted his head and murmured.

"Do your thoughts still have you?"

The boy in the sweater vest lifted his open hand to chest level and closely observed first the back and then the palm of it. He slowly brushed his thumb past the tips of his fingers.

"Rejoice boys, you don't have much longer to wait."

He smiled one last time as he turned to leave the room. He left his final words as the door slid shut once more.

"_Wait for it boys. There will be rain."_

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A wheelchair bound young woman with dark hair hid a deep yawn behind her hand as she rolled herself down the hallway, gliding to a smooth and nearly silent stop outside the door to a certain frog-faced doctor's office.

The gothic informed young woman then cracked her neck, first one way then the other, before firmly shaking her head. Seriously, it was too early in the morning for this . . .

Balling up her fist, she rapped hard on the frame of the door, making a terrible racket as she did so. In a moment the door slid open to reveal the utterly calm face of the room's occupant. The frog-faced doctor let out a grunt of acknowledgment and waved her into the room.

"Thank you for arriving so promptly."

Kuroyoru Umidori muttered under her breath as she rolled herself inside. "_What's so important that you made me come here at the crack of_– **What the hell ****is**** that thing?!**"

The girl had nearly jumped out of her wheelchair when she entered the room and came face to face with a strange oily white mass of _something._

The doctor spoke up in response to her outburst with an underlying rumble of annoyance in his voice as he pointed at the thing in the corner from his spot seated at his desk.

"It was here when I arrived this morning." He waved a piece of what looked like paper in the girl's direction. "There was a note on my desk which had your name on it. It appears to be made of the same material as that object there."

Umidori cautiously rolled up to the strange white object to inspect it more closely. A riot of spindly branch-like structures seemed to be growing up out of the floor to a height that was about even with the seated girl's head. It was composed of a familiar oily white substance that made the little gothic girl want to shudder and/or pee herself from the bad memories . . .

"Does the note say what this thing is supposed to be?" Umidori gave it a tentative poke with the joint of her curled finger. "It looks like a dead ficus plant covered in paint that should have been banned by the World Heath Organization . . . "

"Precision machinery, apparently." The girl looked up from her prodding like he had just let out a ribbit to match his appearance. "That's what the note called it anyway."

"This thing won't even budge." She gave it a firm push with the palm of her hand. "What is it even supposed to do?"

Heaven Canceler's face tightened into a grimace as he watched his patient grasp the shrub-like object with both hands and attempted to shake it. He read the note aloud:

_For Kuroyoru Umidori_

_As promised, precision machinery._

_You'll know what it does when it happens._

_Regards._

The doctor turned the note over in his hands and held it up to the light. "And that's it. Rather ominous, don't you think."

The girl paused from her useless attempts to move the creepy white object and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"I think it fits his personality per– **NYAAA!**"

**CRASH ! ! !**

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"_**Ahem.**"_

_The sound of a new voice from the alley behind them had shocked the boys from their bravado. They wheeled around to catch sight of the intruders. Umidori was confused by the severity of their reactions, like they were watching their lives about to come to an end. Their jaws dropped and they started to shake like they were being electrocuted._

_The dolphin-loving girl looked back and forth between the new group of people and the delinquent boys who appeared about to wet themselves. She would freely admit that this new group looked a little scary even by her standards, and yet these boys only seemed to be aware of a single person among them._

_They ignored the wiry girl with spiky red hair and murderous eyes standing at the front far left, taking point. No, it was like she wasn't even there._

_They were oblivious to the vaguely effeminate and borderline psychopathic looking gothic young man standing at the rear far-right. The flames that flickered through his fingers didn't even seem to register with them._

_They couldn't have cared less about the giant young man with closely cropped black hair and calm eyes that towered at least a head taller than everyone else in the alley. _

_The slightly short but impressively menacing boy with piercing black eyes, spiked and bleached blond hair, and totally missing eyebrows went completely unnoticed, like he was nothing but a poorly placed wall clock._

_These red-blooded boys didn't even seem to care one bit about the unearthly beauty of the sylph-like girl that peered tentatively over the shoulders of the three boys standing in the center of this new group of six. She wore a concerned look on her face, even if it was partially concealed by the long silvery-white hair that covered one eye, cascading down like a silken waterfall. Heck, even Umidori felt like she was about to get a nosebleed just looking at her!_

_But no. _

_These scary people went completely unnoticed as the delinquents focused all of their attention, all of their open and undisguised terror, on the scrawny boy standing in the center of them all._

_The boy with tousled and stringy brass blond hair and dead blue-gray eyes._

_The boy with sickly pale skin, who looked skinny enough to have spent a life either malnourished or simply starved._

_The boy who looked frail enough that a gentle breeze seemed like it would be enough to knock him over._

_The boy that seemed unable to even stand without that giant of a boy's hand on his arm._

_This was the person that caused those five delinquent boys to fall to the ground and scramble on their knees over to him, hands folded in a comically beseeching manner as they made their way there. They froze in place when the red-haired girl in front stomped her foot and glared at them in a threatening manner._

"_M–Mairo-sama!" The lead boy started to plead when he recovered his voice. "It's not what you think, we swear!"_

_He twisted around to point at the brown-haired girl in the back of the alley. She seemed unconcerned._

"_It was all this bitch!" He turned back to face the frail boy. "We were just minding our own business when she attacked us!"_

_The alley dropped into a dead silence for what seemed like a lifetime until the lips of the frail boy finally parted with some sticky reluctance._

"_I see. Now answer me this." The boy's thin whispering voice could scarcely be heard when he spoke. "What were five young men doing with one girl this deep in an alley like this?"_

" _. . . " _

_The boys on the ground began to drip with sweat as they struggled to come up with a response. The sickly boy's voice whispered into the alley once more._

"_Remove yourselves from my sight." The eyes of the delinquents widened in terror. "Before I decide to think of a way of doing it myself."_

_Without another word, those shabby looking boys scrambled out of the alley like their tails were on fire. The glares of the other members of the group followed them on their way out, they then turned back to regard the brown-haired girl at the center of it all._

_The frail boy shrugged one shoulder, causing the giant of a boy to release his arm. He took an unsteady step forward._

_Then another._

"_Tell me, young lady." The boy's nearly silent whispered voice seemed to echo in the empty alley._

"_**Do you believe in miracles?**"_

**. . . .**

Umidori woke with a start from the dream. She rubbed her eyes and glared at the digital clock on the table next to her bed.

"Honestly? 3 AM?" She shook her head. "Seriously, what the hell kind of drea–"

The girl broke off in mid-sentence when the memory hit her. She froze on the bed and hugged the stuffed dolphin toy to her chest as hard as she could.

"He was the one who attacked the project!"

She sat shivering in the dark for what seemed like forever.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"_I think it fits his personality per– **NYAAA!**"_

_**CRASH ! ! !**_

Heaven Canceler twisted around when the loud sound from behind him briefly drowned out the gothic girl's kitten-like scream. He could only blink in surprise.

The branch-like mass of white was gone.

Its former place on the floor was currently occupied by a certain nitrogen esper who was leaning against a nearby table. _Standing up._

Umidori's wheelchair had toppled over on the floor, likely the source of the loud crash a moment ago. The girl herself was wearing what appeared to be a new pair of white pants and a very complex expression on her face . . . .

"Feeling . . . kind of . . . violated . . . ." The girl stammered behind her rosy cheeks. " . . . And . . . strangely aroused . . . ."

The doctor flinched when his patient threw back her head and yelled up towards the ceiling.

"**Thank you sir, may I have another!**"

The doctor frowned. "I take it you are unharmed, then . . . "

"I can walk again!" The girl started to hobble around on unsteady, but perfectly mobile, legs. "This is meffing awesome!"

Heaven Canceler's hand massaged his temple as he watched her stumble over to the full length mirror, and start to do a variety of squats and leg lifts in front of it.

"Young lady, we don't know if that thing is safe or not yet."

Umidori either didn't hear or didn't care about what the doctor was saying, as she continued to admire her new accessory.

"Kuroyoru Umidori, you are rocking that dark matter!" She swiveled her hips. "The mirror loves you, baby!"

"Miss, I have a lot of work to do . . . "

The dolphin loving esper was currently facing away from the mirror with her neck craned about to look behind.

"Whoa, did my butt always look this good?" She gave herself a firm smack on the behind. "Because, I mean DAMN!"

The doctor's palm found his frog-like face. "Miss, this is a hospital. Please take it outside."

"Good idea!" The girl hobble-dashed out of the room. "I'll go ask Touma-kun!"

Finding himself once again alone in his office, Heaven Canceler sighed and shook his head. As he turned back to his desk to pick up the bizarre note once more, he froze in astonishment.

Before his very eyes, he watched as it melted away into nothingness.

There was no trace.

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The quiet of a late Sunday morning was soothing a certain Academy City misfortune magnet right down to his very core as he rested his eyes in the diffuse light of his hospital room.

Ordinarily, he would have called a day like this boring, but he was a changed man now.

Yesterday was Saturday.

The never ending chaos of the prior day had taken most of his strength away and even this morning he found that he wanted to avoid moving as much as possible.

Frankly, even when he heard the nurses referring to the events of yesterday as the "Olympic Toumathlon" when they served him breakfast, he lacked the motivation to shatter those illusions . . .

Still, the lack of visitors was rather relaxing. The only person to stop by was Umidori, who had been on her way to see the Frog-faced doctor for some reason that she didn't understand. She mentioned that his cousin had wanted to see him, but she was still asleep when she passed by the room a moment ago. Then, with a brief wave of the hand and a barely noticeable flush on her face, Umidori had rolled off, silent as a ghost.

"Ah well . . . if it's my cousin then I guess it's fine." Touma muttered to himself and slid his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture. "I just hope that will be the extent of today's visitors . . . "

The sound of skittering drew the boy's attention to the foot of his bed.

"Is that so, Kamijo-san?" The little beetle tapped its tiny leg against the wall. "And I came all this way, too. I'm insulted!"

"I bet you are . . . " Touma nodded with a slight smirk. "You sound like you're in a better mood today."

"I've been thinking about miniskirts."

" . . . Ah." Touma started to shift about on the bed as he shifted his gaze discreetly away from the beetle. "Well don't let me stop you . . ."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it." Touma didn't like the playful voice the beetle was taking. "That's why I'm here, Kamijo-san."

"If you're asking to see _me_ in one, you'll have to wait a week."

"Is that a promise, Kamijo-san?"

Touma was fairly certain that little beetle was grinning somehow. He finally sighed and shook his head.

"_Stupid luck . . . what happened to my beautiful Sunday?_" He muttered under his breath before directly addressing the beetle again."Why are you here, Beetle-san?"

"Uiharu-san is looking for a girl who was wearing a miniskirt on Friday." The beetle tapped on the wall beneath itself. "I figured you would be the one to ask on that topic, so here I am!"

Touma blinked once.

"Beetle-san, come closer." The spiky-haired boy beckoned with a menacing tone evident in his voice. "I need to shatter that illusion."

"I think I'll be staying right here, Kamijo-san." The beetle skittered a little further up the wall. "You are welcome to come over here and get me if you are so inclined . . . "

"Don't tempt me, Beetle-san."

The little white beetle made a strange chattering sound, which Touma took to be some kind of a laugh. He clenched his fist for a moment, but relaxed just as quickly.

"You know, beetle-san . . . this doesn't feel like you just being you" He scratched his chin for a moment. "It's more like you're trying to prepare me for something."

The beetle went silent.

"_Blast you, Kamijo-san . . . ._"

"Yeah, I figured. It's big isn't it?" Touma crossed his arms over his chest. "My misfortune sense was tingling so bad I was starting to wonder if it was hemorrhoids."

The beetle was still silent, quietly tapping a disjointed rhythm on the wall beneath itself with its tiny legs.

"Out with it, beetle-san." The boy's face took on a grimace. "Is the entire Tokiwadai student body coming to visit or something?"

The tiny white beetle finally broke its oppressive silence.

"_They're after your cousin."_

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Umidori was practically skipping as she sped through the corridors of the hospital to the room of a certain spiky-haired boy. There was no denying that confirmation on the tush issue was a top priority. Ask anyone!

The loli-goth skidded to a stop in front of the closed sliding door. She had just placed her hand on the handle to throw it aside when the voices from inside the room made her pause. She shivered briefly when the dull growling tones of the city's number Two filtered through the door into her ears.

"_They're after your cousin."_

The hero's voice responded with open confusion evident in his voice.

"_Tokiwadai?"_

Umidori cringed when the beetle nearly shouted his retort.

"_No, you idiot, the City!"_

"_Why?!" _The girl shifted her head closer to the door as the boy inside gave a frantic response._"Just because she was exposed to the Curriculum's foundation adjustments?"_

"_There's more to it than that." _She heard the beetle huffing to itself._ "You remember the little blonde at Saten's scan on Friday?"_

"_Yes, she's hard to forget."_

"_Well she was here a little bit ago." _The beetle's bitter tone surprised the little nitrogen-esper._ "She basically confessed to being the source of the problem."_

"_And."_

The beetle gave a grunt before responding, as if he was struggling to not start breaking things in the room.

"_Your cousin was the subject of some sort of anomalous research project."_

"_Why Otohime?!"_

Umidori thought that Touma sounded like he was about to be sick. The beetle continued his thought.

"_I doubt even that little Kihara knows the answer to that." _Umidori heard a faint tapping sound as the beetle continued._ "But she was implying that it would paint a rather hefty target on her back."_

" _. . . What are we going to do about it then?"_

"_You are going to stay right here, like you're supposed to."_

She flinched when the boys in the room started shouting.

"_There's no way I'm going to be able to rest now!"_

"_You have to!"_

The nitrogen-esper frowned when she heard Touma groaning in resignation.

"_We need to protect her smile, beetle-san." _

"_We can probably call the other level fives for some favors–"_

"_No." _The boy's voice took on a commanding tone that brought a slight color to the cheeks of the girl eavesdropping in the hallway._ "Promise me you won't let her know that she's in danger."_

Umidori heard silence overtake the room for a moment.

"_Heh." _The beetle spoke up at last, something like a grim satisfaction shaping his words._ "So in the end, it's down to just you and me. I figured we'd end up there eventually."_

"_I'm not saying that we shouldn't tell them." _The girl outside the door rubbed her chin as Touma muttered inside the room._ "But you know how they'll react. We need to hide my cousin, not put a spotlight on her."_

There was a barely perceptible tapping sound when the beetle responded.

"_Agreed. We'll inform them as things progress so they don't start acting out of the ordinary."_

"_Just stay out of trouble, Beetle-san."_

The number Two's voice returned to its more usual tone as he gave Touma a playful response.

"_I feel like I should be saying that to you." _Umidori heard Touma grunt._ "Take care."_

The room went silent when the beetle vanished into thin air. It was a heavy atmosphere.

Umidori couldn't help but clutch at her her heart when she heard Touma's final whispered words. There was no way she could open that door now.

"_Please forgive me, Otohime-chan . . . ."_

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_The back of the spiky-haired boy landed heavily against the rough wall of the alley with a dull thump, his eyes registering shock as the impact knocked the wind out of him._

_As he struggled to breathe, a pair of delicate feminine hands grabbed the fabric of his shirt over his shoulders and clenched hard enough that the boy could hear a tearing sound._

_A girl with icy-blue hair and a Tokiwadai uniform scowled as she held Touma against the wall, her blood-red eyes cutting into the wide open blue of his own._

_The flawless pale shade of her skin contrasted sharply with the brutality of her facial expression when her delicate lips parted to release a terrible growl. Her words hissed out into the alley like a nightmare made flesh._

"_I've had enough of this."_

" _. . . "_

"_I know how your type works, you bastard!"_

_As she leaned in closer, Touma tried to pull away, but was stopped by the wall behind him._

"_Always playing the hero."_

_Touma turned his head away from the painful bitterness of her glare. She shoved him harder against the wall._

"_Always breaking hearts."_

_The boy turned his head back, blinking in confusion._

"_Sterl–"_

"_NOT THIS TIME!" The pretty pale girl shrieked like a banshee directly into his face._

"_But, I–"_

_His words were cut off when the fingers of her left hand poked into his cheek._

"_I'll always be watching. So remember this: The next time you lay a hand on either of them . . . "_

_The girl's smile caused the boy to shiver. Her casual tone certainly didn't help._

"_**I'm going to reach down your throat and freeze every molecule of water in your body, from the inside out."**_

. . . .

Umidori's eyes burst open.

She looked around, finding that her hospital room was empty. She looked at the smoldering red numbers of the clock next to her bed.

1 AM, Monday morning.

"Twice in one day. This isn't a coincidence." The girl rubbed her face to clear her vision in the dim light. "These aren't even dreams, are they?"

"I know the dark side well enough to know that I'm being _sent_ these visions."

She glanced out the window at the dancing lights of the city.

"I hate the fact that they're trying to play me like this." Umidori glanced over the front and back of each hand for a moment and frowned. "But, even so . . . "

Her hands clenched into a pair of fists and growled into the rooms darkness.

"You little princess, you're nothing but another Tokiwadai witch."

She grinned like a mother bear as she stroked the oily-white material covering her legs.

"_I'm going to show you what happens when you threaten one of **MY** boys!"_

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Author's note:

And with that, Sunday has rolled over to Monday.

Umidori is quite the character, isn't she . . .

Kakine, Touma, and Miniskirts. A winning (yet disturbing) combination.

We have a vision of Mairo, shortly before his disappearance and well on the way to level five.

Next up, we will find ourselves in the Third Sequel, at last. Wave hello to Facade on the way there.

Until the next time,

Lets get writing!


End file.
